If you’ve ever thought about traveling the world while getting paid (and hanging out with the rich and famous on the side), Hugo Ortega’s side story might interest you.
After spending 9 years working as a crew member and yacht captain, traveling to over 60 countries, the former engineer decided to turn his specialized professional experience into a fast growing online course business – Superyacht Sunday School.
Now, it has grown into a full-time business earning $10,000/month.
(Sign up for Hugo’s free superyacht training here!)
Tune into episode 602 of The Side Hustle Show to learn how to:
- build your audience with free valuable content
- convert followers into email subscribers
- boost sales through live virtual trainings and webinars
- monetize your expertise with lessons, one-on-one coaching and subscriptions
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A stumbling block in Yachting
Hugo didn’t grow up with dreams of working on boats. In fact, he admitted that he didn’t even know how to swim when he first discovered the yachting industry.
It happened by chance while backpacking in Southeast Asia that he met someone who worked as a yacht crew member. The more he learned about the job and the lifestyle, the more appealing it became—especially the chance to get paid to travel the world.
As Hugo shared, “It’s very common for people to envy your work and ask, ‘How did you come up with it?’ He constantly fielded these types of questions from others interested in breaking into yachting.
Hugo didn’t think so at first. It would explain the basics of getting started, required certifications, tips for finding a job, etc. But then he began to notice a trend of people trying to work online and leverage their existing skills and knowledge.
That’s when the light bulb went on for Hugo. He thought, “Maybe there’s something I can do on the side.”
Starting Small as a service provider
In late 2022, Hugo began gathering some key resources to help aspiring yacht crew members. This included PDF guides on how to create an effective resume/resume, a list of top crew recruitment agenciesand checklists outlining the steps to get you started.
To get things going, Hugo turned to yachting-related Facebook groups and began engaging with the community, answering common questions and adding value where he could.
Whenever someone asked a common question, Hugo made sure to answer it thoroughly. In the end he would say something like “If you want more resources on this topic, I have a great guide here.” and include a link to opt-in to his email list. It also uses the software ManyChat to automate their audience engagement.
This was the “free upfront, paid content later” type of funnel. By offering valuable free content, Hugo could gain trust, grow their email list and prepare for future paid offers.
Very soon Hugo had his first $299 discount for a basic package that included a 1-hour phone consultation and the same PDF guides he had offered as incentives to join. It was a simple proof of concept, but it showed that there was real revenue potential.
Create your signature course offering
Slowly, the email list began to grow. It uses a visual email builder called Flodesk for a more expensive/luxurious feel, as claimed.
Then, he constantly paid attention to which lead magnets were getting the most downloads, which content was resonating best through open rates, and which people were asking the most burning questions.
The current main offering from Super Yacht Sunday School is priced at either $997 for full advance payment or $99 per month for 12 months.
But as Hugo explained, “But if you go through the webinar series and funnel, then I’m offering it at almost 50% off.” So students can get the full course for both $499 in advance or $99 per month for 6 months only.
Using a limited time discount required Hugo to adopt some new software to handle the “cart open/close” expiration time. That’s where it is Deadline channeling The tool came into play to enforce this deficiency.
The tool that really helped open the revenue floodgates? Go from a pre-recorded evergreen webinar to live weekly workouts.
Hugo said this single shift doubled his webinar conversion rates. Now, instead of people watching a pre-recorded pitch at their leisure, they had to show up at a set date and time for Hugo’s real-time training.
By adding some artificial scarcity and demand, it created better shows, more engagement, and ultimately more course sales.
Short form video for marketing
Hugo cited cheap or free marketing strategies as critical to exponentially growing his revenue in 2024. This includes organic traffic through short-form videos on Instagram and TikTok.
The videos follow a similar pattern with catchy one-liner hooks followed by simple cuts to life on a superyacht.
Some examples:
- “This is how much money you can make working as a yacht crew.”
- “Here’s how much a superyacht captain makes annually.”
His top performing video with over 1 million views and counting is a short clip of Hugo on a yacht posing in different crew positions with text showing the earning potential of those jobs.
@superyachtsundayschool How Much Do Yacht Crew Really Make? #discounts #how #crewtraining #superyachts #fyp #yachties #belowdeck #industry #luxury
♬ Summer Day – TimTaj
Videos coming soon under 15 seconds seems to be the sweet spot for engagement and views according to Hugo. The videos are designed to drive eyeballs to his free lead magnets and eventually to his paid coaching offers.
In terms of SEO, Hugo has started expanding into long-form blog content as well. This includes taking some of his popular Instagram posts and spinning them into more in-depth how-to style articles to build his website authority and search rankings.
Of course, these blog posts include opt-in offers and calls to action to join Hugo’s email list and get more free training from him.
And as an advanced tactic, Hugo began experimenting with paid advertising on Facebook, targeting specific members of large groups of yachting fans on Facebook.
It uses a tool called LeadEnforce which can combine the audiences of up to 10 separate Facebook groups into a custom list to upload to Facebook for ad targeting.
While he admits these are still cold audiences compared to his existing email list and followers, Hugo says he’s getting new customers through Facebook ads for $1-$1.25 each, which looks promising so far.
User Generated Content, Influencer Programs, and Follower Programs
Beyond his organic and paid marketing efforts, Hugo has found ways to leverage other people’s audiences and make an impact as well.
First, he is working to build partnerships with cast members of the hit TV show Below Deck, which features real superyacht crews and owners.
The goal is to have these influencers co-host trainings and events to promote and leverage their large social media followings (which can exceed 1 million fans in some cases).
Hugo is also starting to source user-generated content from his successful students to create social proof and case studies. The plan is to leverage these stories and transformations into an upcoming podcast that is currently in the works.
Another new frontier for Super Yacht Sunday School is the creation of paid continuation/subscription programs to serve existing industry professionals.
It is currently in testing phase with a small paying team $59 per monthHugo envisions creating more advanced training and crew development resources on an ongoing basis.
The technology tool it uses for the community and course aspects of this premium membership is Hearbeat.chat.
In addition to helping people get their first yacht crew job, this program will serve as a primary cultivation channel for them to continue to advance their skills and knowledge over time.
Branching out into other revenue streams
The online education part was just the beginning for Hugo. Given his extensive industry expertise and connections, it was a natural fit to offer staffing and recruitment services for yacht owners.
Through some nice positioning and branding, Hugo started getting inquiries from yacht owners looking for crew. And as he explained, “Every time you place crew on a yacht, as long as they stay at least 3 months, you also get 1 month’s salary.”
Now Hugo has another income stream by placing his own students on crews after certifying them through his training programs.
Unforgettable experiences as yacht crew
One of the perks of working in yachting is meeting super rich people and the occasional celebrity like Jon Bon Jovi, George Lucas and Pharrell. Although the “star factor” wears off as your daily life and work environment becomes.
Hugo claims that celebrities are actually more down to earth than you’d expect when on holiday.
He also had his share of wild experiences, such as being caught in heavy storms during Atlantic crossings where the whole boat felt like it was going to capsize.
The world of luxury yachts is full of surprises, but owners can simply postpone their trips if conditions look too dangerous, as they have the flexibility that cargo ships do not.
What’s next for Hugo?
Looking ahead, Hugo sees other opportunities for further modernization and innovation in the yachting industry through technological products and services:
“I feel like there’s a lot of outdated practices, even with recruiting, where it’s just people emailing each other and saving PDFs.” said Hugo. “I want to automate and show that a small online entrepreneur can really tackle this and make it better.”
It sounds like there is potential for Hugo to develop some sort of ‘Upwork for yacht crews’ style recruiting or marketplace platform.
Hugo’s #1 tip for Side Hustle Nation
“Just don’t give up.”
Episode links
